This second edition of the International Migration Outlook, a revised and expanded version of what waspreviously published under the title Trends in International Migration, brings the reader detailed analysis of recent trends in migration movements and policies in OECD countries. It includes harmonised statistics on long-term international migration inflows for most OECD countries. It describes measures taken to facilitate the integration of immigrants from their arrival up until they gain full citizenship. International co-operation to improve border control and to combat irregular immigration is analysed in detail. In addition, the report evaluates the impact of the enlargement of the European Union on the flow of immigrant workers into OECD countries. It highlights the growing attention given to the links between migration and development, notably in the context of regional economic integration. This edition includes two special chapters on topical issues. The first addresses the challenge of matching immigrants’ education with employment, with the aim of adding value to human capital. The second, for the first time, analyses the importance of the presence of immigrants in the health sector of OECD countries. It also describes the migration policies put in place in OECD countries to recruit this highly qualified labour force. This edition also focuses on the employment situation and the participation rate of immigrants, particularly in the services sector.

The increases in international migration to OECD countries observed in recent years are part of a trend that is interesting to view in a broader, historical context, dating from the post-war era to the present. There have been a number of developments during this period that have influenced international migration movements, among them post-war reconstruction, the end of the colonial era, the oil crisis in 1973, the rise and fall of the Iron Curtain, the ageing of the baby-boom generation, not to mention general demographic and economic imbalances between more and less developed countries. What has been the underlying trend in international migration over this period and how have specific events affected the scale and nature of movements within the OECD world?